Awww, this one tugs on the heartstrings! It was so disheartening to read about Owen being shamed for being a Little and how much insecurity he had aroAwww, this one tugs on the heartstrings! It was so disheartening to read about Owen being shamed for being a Little and how much insecurity he had around his kink. I'm so glad Owen and Barrett finally found their way together after so many years of denying themselves. I'm now intrigued about who the next installment is going to be about...Anders?? I really want to see Anders ditch that craptacular boyfriend of his and find a HEA where he isn't taken for granted!
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
This was my first foray into the Daddy/Little kink, so I don't really have a frame of reference for this particular community, but overall this was a This was my first foray into the Daddy/Little kink, so I don't really have a frame of reference for this particular community, but overall this was a fun read. I can't say that this is my particular kink, but I will admit at times I could definitely see the appeal of being a Little and letting someone else take over the adulting for me (I can't AT ALL see the appeal of being the Daddy though, lol.) It was interesting to see Rory discover a side to himself that he wasn't aware of previously, and I liked how open and honest their communication was. However, that made the third-act breakup all the more irksome because it was far too easily resolved by literally one simple conversation, something which they had been handling with aplomb throughout the rest of the book, so it felt contrived.
Next up: Book two of the series!
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
This was a super quick little novella, but it hit the spot. Ezra's biawakening was refreshingly low angst and didn't come with any major conflicts (I This was a super quick little novella, but it hit the spot. Ezra's biawakening was refreshingly low angst and didn't come with any major conflicts (I loved how honest he was with his kids and how accepting they were to his news) and Skylar was bubbly and sweet. A fun, quick read.
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
It was stated that prior reading was not required, and although that is technically true, I think if I had read the previous two entries in this serieIt was stated that prior reading was not required, and although that is technically true, I think if I had read the previous two entries in this series it would have filled in a lot of the context that I was missing for this book. Overall though, even though I was a bit confused at times, this was still an enjoyable read. I will say that I think Benny transitioned REALLY fast from thinking that he was in love with his best friend to being totally over it and in love with Chris. Also, Chris's trauma over his parents death, though hinted at very briefly earlier, was elaborated on way too late in the story in my opinion, so it felt really rushed. Still, these two are cute and the camaraderie between Benny and the rest of the team was really fun to read. I am definitely interested in reading the previous two entries in the series now.
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
I really enjoy this series and it's making me intrigued about Banana Ball. Maybe one of these days I will overcome my deep aversion to all sportsballsI really enjoy this series and it's making me intrigued about Banana Ball. Maybe one of these days I will overcome my deep aversion to all sportsballs and actually watch a game, lol. I was very excited for the next installment in this series and it was really cute and a lot of fun. Alan and Ryan were very cute and I loved how their R&J reenactment led to a real-life romance (and fortunately did not end in both of their deaths like the OG did!) I loved Don and his demoncat Precious and I got a chuckle out of Alan's deep aversion to that poor cat. I will say, though, that the story could have been strengthened by tying up a few of the loose ends. I would have loved to see Alan overcome his fear of water and enjoy a late-night skinny-dip with Ryan in his family's ranch pool. I would have loved to see Alan and his grandfather have a discussion about Banana Ball and really see Don embrace the joy of the sport and shower Alan with support. I would have loved to see Alan join Ryan on a trip back to the UK and meet Ryan's feisty granny. It felt like there was a fair amount of build-up to a lot of these facets (especially the first two), but they never really reached a satisfying conclusion. Still, I had a lot of fun reading this book and am looking forward to Tim's story next
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
This was a fun, quick read. The sexy parts were very enjoyable, although the D/s felt thrown in there with very little character development/exploratiThis was a fun, quick read. The sexy parts were very enjoyable, although the D/s felt thrown in there with very little character development/exploration beforehand, so it kind of came out of left field. It also felt very weird that they wouldn't have met in advance to discuss the logistics of the contract prior to actually engaging in it. They were agreeing to fake date FOR A YEAR! What if they absolutely DESPISED each other?? I mean it all worked out for them (of course), but yikes! Risky game, lol!
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
I'm sorry to say, but this one just didn't hit right for me. I knew there was going to be some really heavy themes in this one, and even though I geneI'm sorry to say, but this one just didn't hit right for me. I knew there was going to be some really heavy themes in this one, and even though I generally prefer more of a Schitt's Creek-style idyllic fictional worlds where homophobia doesn't exist, I do like stories that handle that topic really well. I felt so bad for Everett and his internalized homophobia (which is the most tragic form of homophobia to me), and even though I wanted him to overcome that, it felt like he overcame it shockingly fast, which didn't feel realistic. By the end of the book and Everett's confrontation with his father, I had become a lot more engrossed in the story, but then all of a sudden Everett's mother, who spent the ENTIRE book being a very vocal, rabid homophobe, suddenly miraculously has a change of heart and is cool with her son being gay? It was really a very unearned character development and it just made the book end on a sour note for me.
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
This was a really cozy, low-angst read. Perfect for a cool fall day. I've been reading a lot of books set in small towns and it's really making me conThis was a really cozy, low-angst read. Perfect for a cool fall day. I've been reading a lot of books set in small towns and it's really making me contemplate selling my big-city condo and moving to the country. But in practice, I think having this many people all up in your business all the time would probably get real old, real quick! LOL. I really liked how welcoming and accommodating Lucy is in this when she comes back into town. I like seeing stories of people forming healthy, functional coparenting situations like this rather than adversarial, drama-filled ones.
Also, I know this is a very tiny little scene, but at one point Jason ruffles Lucas' hair and he darts away and corrects him, saying "No touching. Dad says you have to ask. I have to give permission." I just love seeing these kind of healthy boundaries and respect for children's bodily autonomy becoming normalized. I don't have children of my own, but I try to remain mindful of stuff like this when I'm interacting with my friends' kids, and it was awesome to see that scene and also the fact that it was a main character that made the mistake and then promptly apologized for crossing Lucas' boundary was great because it shows that even people with good intentions can still learn.
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
This book is raw. It's dirty. It's violent...and I really enjoyed it! I'm still a little unsure how I feel about the fact that I am enjoying these mafThis book is raw. It's dirty. It's violent...and I really enjoyed it! I'm still a little unsure how I feel about the fact that I am enjoying these mafia stories of violent men and their violent passions, but I have to admit that they totally work for me. D/s dynamics are generally not my go-to, but I loved the raw tension and energy pulsing between Orion and Elio in this instalment.
I am anxiously clamouring for the Sal/Dante book, which surely must be next?? Those two have been teasing me for two whole books now!
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
This was a quick, sweet little read. A low-angst second chances story featuring high school sweethearts reuniting in their small Maine town. Where thiThis was a quick, sweet little read. A low-angst second chances story featuring high school sweethearts reuniting in their small Maine town. Where this book really shone for me was in the background/supporting characters. I thought the budding romance between Rory's mom and Brooks's dad was so unbelievably precious. Ziggy Knickerbocker's youthful enthusiasm for life and love of both poetry and hockey were so cute (I'd LOVE to see him paired up in a follow-up book!) And, of course, the indefatigable gossip hounding of the infamous Dottie Perkins! These characters really brought the town to life and made it feel intimate.
I'd definitely love to continue reading this series.
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
What a cute little story! The romance between Clay and Nicholas was really enjoyable and there was a nice steady build-up to it. This was also not supWhat a cute little story! The romance between Clay and Nicholas was really enjoyable and there was a nice steady build-up to it. This was also not super angsty, though there was a very brief break-up near the end, but it was very quickly resolved. One of my favourite parts of this book was the found family of the surrounding characters. The author managed to make this neighbourhood come to life and feel like a safe, caring community for both Nicholas and newcomer Clay.
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
I was really looking forward to this, but it felt like the story was on a speed run. There wasn't a lot of character or relationship development and eI was really looking forward to this, but it felt like the story was on a speed run. There wasn't a lot of character or relationship development and everything just went super fast. Titus is a widower who has been in the closet and even though his wife gave him her approval for him to come out as a gay man before her death, he remains sequestered away for two years after not pursuing it (which is totally fine! He's grieving and has a young child, so that's definitely understandable.) Then Pedro and Titus meet and the same day they're already deep in the feels about each other and having sex. He so quickly (on the page; the book time was more like two years, but on the page it was the next chapter) jumped to shacking up with another man and it was really disorienting. I actually had to back up and re-listen (I use text-to-speech) 3 times because I thought I kept zoning out and missing huge parts, but I hadn't.
There's some really interesting plot points in this and I actually found the whole storyline with Silas and Mason really intriguing, but overall the story felt rushed and like we were just told things rather than shown things.
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
I was a little trepidatious about this one given the trigger warnings for SA in this one, but even though this contained a lot more serious topics thaI was a little trepidatious about this one given the trigger warnings for SA in this one, but even though this contained a lot more serious topics than I often gravitate towards, I found it was handled well. The author gave Max a lot of room for learning to cope with his trauma and deal with setbacks and you also got to see Marcos struggle with his guilt around his best friend's SA. Just like in the first book of the series, I like how Luke was such a supportive partner and worked hard to ensure that Max felt safe within their relationship. I really like this author's writing of relationships.
What I'm not a huge fan of is their endings. They must be trying to mimic the Gillian Flynn Gone Girl thing where they just end the book abruptly and you keep clicking thinking there HAS to be more to it because that ending feels so unsatisfying and incomplete. This book, at least, felt slightly less abruptly terminated than the first book of the series did, but I still would have liked to see a little more follow-up on Max and Luke in an Epilogue or something.
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
Hmm, this is a bit of a weird one. Reading this felt a bit...off-center? The character of Carter was REALLY hard to get a read on. I know it wasn't exHmm, this is a bit of a weird one. Reading this felt a bit...off-center? The character of Carter was REALLY hard to get a read on. I know it wasn't explicitly stated, but was Carter intended to be on the Autism spectrum? Or maybe that's just how rich people behave and I have no experience with that, lol. It was also the stark contrast between the bubbly sunshine character of Zeke that made Carter's reserved nature feel even more exaggerated.
I really liked Zeke's demisexuality and thought that was handled quite well. It felt like they really had a chance to bond before Zeke felt his feelings towards Carter drift over to the romantic side, which was awesome to see. And I LOVED LOVED LOVED how Carter was so respectful of Zeke's demisexuality and didn't rush him into the physical aspects of their relationship. I love seeing healthy relationship boundaries reflected in stories.
This one landed somewhere in the 3.5 range for me, but I had to round down after that cliffhanger ending. I have no clue why the author would end the book like that--that was rude!
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
Indiana and his five close college friends all find themselves at a point in their life when they're ready for change and a serendipitous inheritance Indiana and his five close college friends all find themselves at a point in their life when they're ready for change and a serendipitous inheritance has them all reuniting in their college town to pursue a shared dream of opening a queer bar. Except that isn't the only sweeping change in Indiana's life because when a pretty, femme twink walks into the bar looking for a job, Indy gets hit by a trainload of lust that's threatening to derail the no-strings-attached rules that have always guided his sex life. Salem has a steady stream of disappointing romantic experiences in his past and he's determined to keep what he and Indy have as casual, but how long can he keep his walls up when Indy seems determined to demolish them.
This was a fun introduction to this world and I am very excited to continue reading the series, but I found that I didn't really "feel" the pull between the characters as much as I would have liked so much as I was being told their was a pull between them. The instalust part was definitely viscerally described (and hot!), but the deeper emotions felt more elusive to me. What I did really like (and also found really funny) is how utterly obtuse Indy was about the fact that he was falling in love, and how his friends clearly knew he was and were just like, "You'll figure it out eventually, buddy." I could practically see them giving him the you-sweet-summer-child looks and pat on the head.
I really liked the close friend group and actually found myself getting more excited to read their stories--Lowen and Oakley, for sure! Ridley and Wren, for sure! I have no clue who Kit is going to end up with...I assume we haven't met his eventual partner yet? But I think Bane and Jerryn are the ones I am most excited to read about! Surely they're together already?? What is their STORY?!?!
I can't wait to see that old mansion stuffed to the gills with people in love!
This was a 3.5 stars for me, but I decided to round up because I really like books where men communicate with each other about their emotions and there was a lot of that in here, and both Salem and Indy do it, so it isn't one-sided. I love me some emotionally healthy masculinity!
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
After reading the first book in the series, Rebuilding Charlie, I was really excited to find out that the second book focused on Charlie's brother, LaAfter reading the first book in the series, Rebuilding Charlie, I was really excited to find out that the second book focused on Charlie's brother, Law, and Teague's nephew, Oak. And I was not disappointed! Law and his wife Cait are fairly recently divorced, but co-habiting and co-parenting which was just so refreshing to see. I love tales of amicable divorces and people putting aside their differences to provide stability for the children they share. So refreshing to see! When Cait gets a dream job opportunity across the country, it allows Law the opportunity to take a big leap and move himself and the kids to New York so that they will be much closer to their mother and their beloved uncle Charlie.
Oak is struggling to re-establish his sense of safety and security after being kicked out of his Mormon parent's home when they discover he's gay. He's fortunate enough to have found his extended family and friends who are quick to welcome him in and accept him for exactly who he is, but it's hard for him to get over the religious trauma and abandonment and trust that this new family isn't going to abandon him as well.
Once again, these authors did a really good job of walking the fine line between paying proper respect to some really heavy topics and still keeping it a light, hopeful read. I loved seeing Law and Oak gravitating towards each other and finding their footing together.
Now, I absolutely CANNOT WAIT until Felix's story! I am assuming he's going to end up with Kellan?? GIMME GIMME GIMME!!
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
There's definitely some dark themes and possible triggers in this, but the authors do a really great job of walking the line between those heavy themeThere's definitely some dark themes and possible triggers in this, but the authors do a really great job of walking the line between those heavy themes and keeping it a positive, affirming story. Normally I like stories that jump a little more quickly into the sexy times, but this one took a little more time to get there and I think that was definitely the right choice, because it felt important to give Charlie time to feel more comfortable and settled in his new home.
I don't have any personal experience with the type of trauma and dysmorphia that Charlie was experiencing, so I can't speak to whether it was accurate in its portrayal, but it read as very honest and relatable and made me empathise easily with him. I LOVED how thoughtful Teague was with Charlie's mental health issues, while also not always getting it 100% right. That felt very accurate and realistic to me.
I've already started book 2 in the series and I can't wait to read them all!
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
Okay...so.... I would like to preface this review by saying that I've never actually read a Mafia-themed book before, so I have no frame of 3.5 Stars.
Okay...so.... I would like to preface this review by saying that I've never actually read a Mafia-themed book before, so I have no frame of reference for this. I saw K.M. Neuhold's name and thought, "SIGN ME UP!" because I have really enjoyed their books in the past. In theory, I knew that a Mafia romance would involve criminals, but I don't think I really stopped to consider what that would mean...
If you're a fan of Neuhold's light, fluffy, angst-free books... this isn't that. But it isn't NOT that either, if that makes sense? (no, I'm sure it makes absolutely zero sense, lol). The description of a "murder marshmallow" that is used in the book is pretty darn apt. Xaviaro (side note: I had so much trouble pronouncing that name in my head every time I read it, haha. That 'o' on the end just would not compute in my brain!) is an enforcer for the main crime family in the city and murders people... like, a lot. But he's captivated the moment he encounters Sparrow, a spunky little twink who is thirsting for blood and vengeance for his brother's death. This bird holds Killer's heart in his hands, right from the very start.
Did I enjoy this book? Yeah, I did. I don't think it's one that I would come back to regularly because having my main characters snuffing people so regularly made me feel a bit conflicted (and also a bit concerned that I wasn't MORE conflicted, honestly, haha), but I am definitely intrigued and will be continuing the rest of the series.
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
Three couples and two best friends celebrate the summer before their final year of college by going on a European vacation. Dylan and Brad have been bThree couples and two best friends celebrate the summer before their final year of college by going on a European vacation. Dylan and Brad have been best friends for years, so sharing a bed doesn't seem like a big deal...until the sexual tension becomes too much for them to resist.
I haven't read the first two books in this series, but I saw the description for this book and it was such a treasure trove of some of my favourite tropes that I just couldn't resist and I decided to leap into the series in the final instalment anyway. It works well enough as a standalone--I could tell that there was more to the stories of the other couples on the vacation, but it wasn't distracting to the Brad/Dylan coupling. I am curious, however, whether reading those other books would have given me more of an appreciation for their friendship because even though they have been best friends for years, there seem to be many unshared secrets between them. I found it a bit odd that Brad seemed to be so in the dark about Dylan's home life and his problems with his dad. I would have expected a little more familiarity between them by this point.
There was a bit of angst in this, with Dylan's father being very emotionally distant and functionally absent after the double tragedy of his wife leaving and then his eldest son running away from home. There was a fair few mentions of Frankie and how he was just gone one day and left this gaping hole in Dylan and his dad's life, so I was really hoping to learn something about where he went and maybe see a reunion of some kind, but unfortunately there was no resolutions there. That was a bit disappointing.
For the most part, the book was a fun read and I enjoyed it. I will definitely be backtracking and reading the rest of the series at some point!
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I was provided with an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review....more
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